


The Pit™

by BananasofThorns



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Everyone's happy, Fluff, In this house Endgame never happened, Light Angst, Other, Soft™, This was purely indulgent, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 15:26:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18719818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BananasofThorns/pseuds/BananasofThorns
Summary: Stephen begins to open a portal, fully planning on heading back to the Sanctum to burn his demon-blood-soaked robes, but Tony stops him.“Ah, ah, Strange. You’re an Avenger now. That means you get to come to the pit with us.”Almost everything about that sentence is disturbing, but when Stephen glances around at everyone else, they don’t look the least bit concerned. This does nothing to allay his fears. Maybe all the Avengers are in a cult he somehow doesn’t know about…?He says nothing about a cult to Tony. "I was planning on cleaning up at the Sanctum."“You can do that at the Compound. C’mon, it’s an Avengers tradition. And, since you’ve just helped us defeat a horde of demons, I would say you’re an Avenger now.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to the Tony Stark discord (especially tear-stealing fish-demon) for coming up with the idea

The demons finally explode with a burst of light and not a small number of guts. Stephen makes a face as the cloak lowers him back to the ground. All around him, the other Avengers are wiping various levels of demon bits off their faces. Stephen does the same, his sleeve becoming even more bloodied and ruined than it already was.

Tony probably gets off the easiest out of them all, with the Iron Man armor to protect him. When it retracts into the holder on his chest, most of the guts go with it. Stephen wonders if it automatically cleans itself or if Tony has to do it manually. He makes a mental note to ask him later.

“Is anyone injured?” Steve asks, shaking guts off his shield with a disgusted look on his face. 

Everyone responds in turn, listing mostly only bruises or scratches. Luckily, Clint, who got the worst injury out of them all, only has a dislocated shoulder. Stephen knows they got lucky that Carol and Thor were in town. Without them, injuries would have been much more drastic.

Stephen begins to open a portal, fully planning on heading back to the Sanctum to burn his demon-blood-soaked robes, but Tony stops him. 

“Ah, ah, Strange. You’re an Avenger now. That means you get to come to the pit with us.”

Almost everything about that sentence is disturbing, but when Stephen glances around at everyone else, they don’t look the least bit concerned. This does nothing to allay his fears. Maybe all the Avengers are in a cult he somehow doesn’t know about…?

He says nothing about a cult to Tony. "I was planning on cleaning up at the Sanctum."

“You can do that at the Compound. C’mon, it’s an Avengers tradition. And, since you’ve just helped us defeat a horde of demons, I would say you’re an Avenger now.”

“I don’t-”

Tony rolls his eyes, walks over, and easily lifts Stephen into his arms. He doesn’t even bother putting his armor back on. It’s enough to shock Stephen speechless.

“That’s what I thought. Steve can lend you some clothes.” Tony sounds insufferably smug as he sets Stephen down. “And, wow, you’re incredibly light. Do you even eat anything?”

“Yes,” Stephen mutters, attempting to straighten his robes even though they’re already ruined. “Yes, I do.” The cloak pats him consolingly on the hand. Stephen has had it long enough that he knows it’s secretly laughing at him.

They're all still standing in the street, probably looking like idiots with guts all over them. Stephen sighs and opens a portal to the Compound's medical ward. Everyone gets to work patching up their various cuts and scrapes. Natasha pops Clint shoulder back into place. Everyone starts dispersing towards their rooms to clean up. Stephen just stands there, feeling a little lost.

Tony notices his hesitance.

“Right, yeah, you don’t have a room yet. Um….” He trails off for a moment, thinking. “You can use my shower, I guess. We can take turns and I can show you where the pit is when we’re done.” Somehow, Tony still doesn’t seem to realize how ominous that sentence is. “I’ll have Steve bring you some clothes.”

Tony leads the way to his room. Steve pokes his head out of a doorway on their way there and hands a bundle of clothing to Tony, who in turn hands it to Stephen. He nods his head in thanks.

When they get to Tony’s room, they both stand there for a moment before Tony gestures at the bathroom.

“You can go first.”

“Thanks.”

The conversation is more awkward than it has any right to be. Stephen huffs, closing the door behind him. The bathroom is ridiculously fancy. Stephen doesn’t really care, as it’s a big step up from the Sanctum. Sometimes it doesn’t have running water, depending on how many inter-dimensional creatures have decided to storm through that week.

All in all, it’s nice, if not a little nostalgic.

He burns his robes as soon as he takes them off, hoping Tony won’t mind the faint smell of burning fabric and demon that remains. He puts Steve’s borrowed clothes on after he finishes washing away dirt, blood, and some guts. Demon guts seem to have a talent for getting everywhere, which is a fact that Stephen, unfortunately, knows far too well.

Steve’s clothes are, to the shock of nobody, way too big. They’re about the same height, so the pants are just a bit baggy but not too long. Steve’s shoulders are much broader than Stephen’s, though, so the shirt hangs off his torso. Even though it’s short-sleeved, the sleeves go nearly to his elbows. He looks ridiculous. The cloak drapes itself over his shoulders, slightly obscuring the bagginess. It’s an interesting look.

Tony looks up when he reenters the bedroom.

“You look ridiculous.”

“Thanks,” Stephen deadpans, fitting as much exasperation and sarcasm into the word as he can. “I hope you don’t mind your bathroom smelling of burning fabric and demon. I burned my robes.”

Tony blinks. “It’s smelled worse.”

“I did not need to know that.”

“My bad.” Tony doesn’t look even remotely sorry. “Also, before you get any ideas, it was because of this one time we fought giant slugs. One of them exploded all over me and some got inside the armor. It was terrible.”

“That’s...unfortunate.”

Tony nods solemnly as he walks to the bathroom. “It really was,” he says, closing the door behind him.

Stephen takes Tony’s place on the bed, curling up with his knees under his chin. The cloak curls itself around him. He stays there, staring into space until Tony comes back out. His hair is still damp, but it’s sticking up like he’s toweled it dry. Both his shirt and his pants are a bit too long, hanging over his hands and tucking under his feet. He looks much softer around the edges.

“C’mon, Strange. It’s pit time.”

“I really wish you would stop saying that.”

“What?”

“Pit time.” Tony just shrugs, a look of perfect innocence on his face. Stephen rolls his eyes.

The pit, as it turns out, is a large, well,  _ pit _ that takes up almost an entire room somewhere towards the back of the Compound. It’s filled with blankets and pillows. There’s a sign on the back wall, proudly declaring “The Pit” in soft pink, glowing letters. 

Clint is braiding Natasha’s hair, who’s, in turn, braiding Carol’s hair, who’s, in turn, braiding Bucky’s hair. Sam is leaning against Bucky, trying to shield himself with a blanket against Steve’s relentless pillow throwing. Bruce and Thor are watching with amusement. Thor occasionally throws another pillow into the mix. Tony joins in, wading through the pit and picking up a Captain America pillow. He throws it, hitting Steve straight in the face. Sam collapses, laughing, into Bucky’s lap.

Stephen feels like an outsider. He curls up in a corner of the pit, away from the group. The cloak tries to drag him towards them, but it gives up and drapes itself a bit sadly over him when he refuses to move.

A pillow hits his side but he doesn’t move, assuming someone’s throw badly missed its mark. A moment later, however, he’s lifted into the air with a surprised yelp.

“Stark.”

“Strange,” Tony parrots back. “Stop being grumpy and come hang out with us. That’s what the pit’s for - team bonding. We use it after battles, if any of us have nightmares, or if we just need a break. FRIDAY plays movies on the ceiling sometimes.”

That sounds...nice, actually. Usually, Stephen just deals with the nightmares on his own or with the cloak. Sometimes he talks to Wong, but most of the time he just stays in bed and stares into the darkness, trying not to fall back asleep. He’s used to it by now. But a place like the pit sounds nice.

He doesn’t say any of this to Tony, though.

“Put me down.”

“Please.”

“You’re a bastard.”

Tony shrugs, which feels a bit odd because he’s still carrying Stephen. “Maybe. Guess I’ll just have to keep holding you until you’re nice to me,” he says, not moving. Stephen rolls his eyes.

“Fine. Please put me down, you bastard.”

“Better.” Tony drops Stephen onto the pillows and sits down next to him. “Any movie you wanna watch?”

Stephen hesitates. “Mamma Mia?”

Tony nods approvingly. “Good choice.” Everyone else seems to agree.

Since people are still having their hair done, FRIDAY plays the movie on the wall instead of the ceiling.

It’s actually quite fun. Stephen spends half the time laughing at Clint, Bucky, and Sam’s terrible excuse for singing. Luckily, it’s balanced out by Tony actually being able to carry a tune. Apparently, it’s an unspoken rule that, when Dancing Queen starts playing, everyone has to stand up and start dancing. Stephen doesn’t realize this until Tony grabs his arm and pulls him up, twirling him around. They both end up falling down onto each other, but Stephen’s smiling too much to care. It’s the first time he’s laughed so hard in who knows how long and it’s been even longer since he’s felt so light and happy.

Tony, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Bucky, Sam, and Carol apparently have a coordinated dance for Waterloo. Tony drags Stephen into it and soon all eight of them, nine if you count the cloak, are dancing around and laughing like teenagers. They all collapse into a pile at the end when the screen goes dark. Tony is half laying on Stephen and he’s pretty sure Carol’s legs are tangled in both of theirs, but it’s comfortable. The cloak drapes itself over them all and before Stephen knows it, he’s asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

When Stephen wakes up, sunlight is streaming through windows that he hadn’t noticed the night before. Tony is still curled up by his side and the cloak is still draped over them both, but Carol has disappeared. There are distant clinking sounds coming from a kitchen somewhere to Stephen’s right. He’s comfortably warm and doesn’t want to get up.

Belatedly, he realizes that this is the first night since the crash that he’s slept without nightmares. It’s the most rested he’s felt since he can’t remember when.

Tony shifts against his side and rolls over, rubbing his eyes against the sunlight.

“Hey, doc. How do you feel?”

His voice is still soft with sleep. Glancing around, Stephen can see Bucky, Sam, and Steve piled together. Bruce and Thor are both still asleep, huddled under blankets with their fingers loosely entwined. Clint and Natasha aren’t there, so he assumes they’re in the kitchen with Carol. The sunlight streaming in through the window bathes everything in a soft golden glow. It feels like home.

“Good. I feel good.”

Tony smiles, soft and happy, and it almost seems brighter than the sunlight.


End file.
